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Press Release on Traditional Medicine

The World Health Organization estimates that traditional systems of medicine serve the health needs of about 80 per cent of the world's population and the goal of health for all can never be achieved without traditional medicines.

 

Practices of traditional medicine (TM) vary greatly from country to country and region to region, as they are influenced by factors such as culture, history, climatic conditions, personal attitudes, ideology and philosophy. However, there has been renewed and wider interest in TM not only in the developing countries but also in the developed countries (especially herbal medicine) for many obvious and hidden reasons. 

 
For millions of poor patients in the vast rural areas of the developing and under developed countries, the use of TM is the only affordable and accessible source of primary health care. Studies reveal that there are more TM providers than the allopathic providers especially in the rural areas. The increased use of TM in the developed countries is mainly due to the adverse effects of chemical drugs, questioning of the approaches and assumptions of allopathic medicine, greater public access to information on traditional medicine. 

 

Long historical use of many practices of TM including experience passed from generation to generation, has demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the above. Despite its existence and continuous use over many centuries and its popularity especially during the last decade, TM has not been effectively recognized by the Ministries of Health in most countries. Consequently, education, training and research in this area have not been accorded due attention and support. 

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched its "Traditional Medicine strategy for 2002 - 2005" to enable TM to play a far greater role in reducing excess mortality and morbidity, especially among impoverished communities incorporating four objectives; policy, safety, efficacy, quality, access and rational use.

 

The paper also emphasizes that intellectual property rights' issues should be taken into consideration as many developing countries have a wealth of indigenous TM knowledge and/or natural and generic resources used in TM practices. If not, it will pave way to losing their indigenous knowledge, ownership and right to use TM to "bio piracy" within the worldwide trend and the complex legal arrangements of IPR, which are not well known to the owners of community knowledge and generic resources.

 

In conclusion, the paper presents some guidelines to policy & action to promote and encourage TM. Following are some of these guidelines;

Ø       National governments should encourage discussions among traditional healers, health professionals and the general public to formulate and develop public policies including regulations, which address the utilization of traditional medicines in primary health care.

Ø       International organizations, governments, NGOs, manufacturers and traditional healers are to develop ethical criteria for the promotion of traditional medicines and herbal remedies.

Ø       Academic and research institutes, traditional healers, NGOs and community organizations should be supported by national governments to raise public awareness of the benefits and risks of traditional medicines and herbal remedies.

Ø       Academic and research institutes and traditional healers should consider the development of national pharmacopoeial monographs on selected medicinal plants.

Ø       International organizations, national governments, traditional healers, manufacturers and traders should develop international norms and agreements to monitor, regulate and control international trade in medicinal plants.

Ø       International agreements provide the mandate for national governments to enact appropriate policies and regulations for conservation, cultivation, processing and marketing of medicinal plants and to monitor the implementation of international agreements.   

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Health Action International Asia Pacific (HAI AP), the Asian arm of the International Non Governmental Organization, Health Action International is a network of organizations and individuals involved in health and pharmaceutical issues. HAI AP plays a key role in upholding health as a fundamental human right by organizing, co-partnering and participating actively in public fora at national, regional and international level. HA IAP campaigns and lobbies for rational drug use and access to essential medicines.

 

For further information contact: 

The Information & Communications Officer, Health Action International Asia Pacific, 

No 5, Frankfurt Place, Colombo 4, Sri Lanka, Tel: + 94 11 2554353, Fax: + 94 11 2554570, 

Email: passanna at haiap.org
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